a spark and a chemistry
by iDecode
Summary: AU. SasuSaku. He was just trying to record his drumming performance for a Humanities project. She was just trying to watch. Nothing ended well when in lieu of his performance, the camera captured a good view of her ass instead.
1. Face Down

**a spark and a chemistry**

**SUMMARY: **AU. SasuSaku. He was just trying to record his drumming performance for a Humanities project. She was just trying to watch. Nothing ended well when in lieu of his performance, the camera captured a good view of her ass instead.

* * *

Chapter 1 - _Face Down_

She had an hour to spare before her next class in the Old Humanities building, so Sakura Haruno decided to take her time in strolling around the campus. Despite being in the university for three months already, she still found it difficult to get from class to class, especially with how big the University of the Leaf was.

There were times when Sakura still could not find her way toward the place she was set to have a group meeting in, and there were times when she would discover a quicker way toward wide-gapped buildings that she had to cross in order to get to classes within ten minutes.

Still, it amazed her to no end that no matter how big the campus was, people seemed to know each other, whether it be personally or simply by face.

The pink-haired, green-eyed university student hugged her jacket closer to her body as she strolled along the sidewalk in front of the Engineering building.

Snow coated the road she trod on and she mused about how quickly time had passed. It seemed just yesterday when she received her high school diploma along with other awards and began university. She could still recall when her best friend, Ino Yamanaka, excitedly phoned her to let her know that the exam results had come out online.

It was then that Sakura found out she had passed in the leading university in the country.

She could see the white wisps of her breath as she exhaled amidst the coldness, and she half-heartedly realized that she was hungry. The last meal she had was breakfast.

Sakura paused from walking and looked at her wristwatch.

_2:30 PM._

"Whoa," she muttered. Sakura hadn't realized she had been walking around for 20 minutes already. She placed a hand against her stomach and thought just how much time she had to eat a little snack. "Might as well eat now."

She spun on her heels, the snow crunching beneath her, and headed toward the Engineering building.

Students who carried around T-squares on their shoulders littered the area, and some people she knew from the university orientation or from general course classes greeted her as she passed. Sakura thought herself not sociable, but realized that being in college, she might as well try.

The University of the Leaf was the prime university in the country of Konoha, and its diversity among its students and employees was so huge that Sakura knew many classmates who came from a different country.

"What's he doing?" a student from Sakura's right asked. Then the student's voice became incredulous as she asked, "Are those buckets?"

Sakura was halfway through the first floor when her curiosity was piqued. She looked over her shoulder and toward the girl who spoke.

When she traced where the student was looking at, she found herself staring at a uniquely handsome boy who was setting about four different sizes of buckets around him. He got another one and placed it comfortably behind the four buckets and sat on it.

People were gathering around the handsome boy—who, in Sakura's opinion, looked to be a freshman like her—and she observed that most of them were girls.

The College of Engineering and Technology was one of the most intimidating places for Sakura, mostly because it held so many boys, but there were quite a number of girls in there around that time—or was it just because of that handsome boy?—that Sakura could hardly care.

Sakura moved closer to where the crowd was beginning to grow but somewhere she could also easily see what was happening. She raised her eyebrows when she found the dark-haired young man raise drumsticks.

"Oh my God, he's Sasuke Uchiha isn't he?" a girl who stood a few feet beside her whispered, but loud enough for Sakura to hear. "The really cute freshman who's apparently Itachi Uchiha's younger brother?"

"Yeah, and I bet he's really smart and talented like Itachi," another answered.

_Tok. Bam._

Sakura's eyes widened.

_(Tok) Bam— (Tok) Bam— (Tok) Bam— (Tok) Bam— (Tok) Bam— (Tok) Bam—  
Tik Tok (Tok) Bam— (Tok) Bam— (Tok) Bam—_

_Oh no, he didn't!_ Sakura thought as she watched the black-haired boy in the center of the watchers. He was banging on the paint buckets as though they were real drums and— _Did he just make those buckets _sound_ like real drums?_

Sakura was no musician, but she could realize when beats become difficult, and just by the way the boy's—Sasuke Uchiha, she heard—hands quickly swiveled around the buckets and banged on them with complete abandon, she knew that it was becoming complicated.

The sound became music, and it was _amazing_.

Sasuke had raised one bucket with his foot while banging on it with his stick, and Sakura was thrown off when she found out that it made up for the bass sound. The crowd around them was growing, and some others began taking their phones out to perhaps take a video of him.

It was a beautiful performance. Halfway through, people began cheering, and Sakura couldn't help but join in as well.

When it was over, everybody clapped, and Sakura, amazed as she was, began clapping, too. However, there was something else.

What amazed her more? The fact that Sasuke Uchiha was looking at her.

It was a few seconds after his gaze settled on her that he glared and began marching toward her. The mobs of people, Sakura noticed, were beginning to disperse now that the show was over, and were luckily only a few when the _real_ show began.

"What the fuck?" Sasuke had cursed, already right in front of her and still glaring.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "That's some language you have, for someone who just—"

But the boy was not listening any longer. Instead, he made a move to get to somewhere directly behind her back. Sakura looked over her shoulder and her mouth hung when she realized what Sasuke meant.

To say that the boy was annoyed was an understatement. He was _livid, _and he was staring incredulously at her.

In his hands, standing on a tripod, was a video camera. And Sakura was sure as hell that it was meant to capture the whole thing that Sasuke had just done in front of a number of people.

"See this thing here?" the boy asked her through gritted teeth. "_This_ was supposed to record the performance for a fucking project in Humanities that is due tomorrow morning, and you know what it recorded instead?"

Sakura didn't speak and just watched the boy with owlish eyes.

"Your fucking ass"—Sakura was about to retort this time because no _one_, as in _no one_, spoke so vulgarly in front of her—"Now tell me, you think I _can_ submit something like this?"

In Sakura's defense, she did not notice the camera right there. She was simply drawn to watching him that she had failed to heed the reason why some students apparently avoided the area where she stood.

To be honest, Sakura thought he was simply showing off—not that he hadn't anything to show off, because he had some talent right there—and was not aware that it was a project... a _video_ project.

"What are you _so_ angry about?" she asked, feeling a little guilty. She spread her arm so it pointed toward the forgotten buckets. "You could just make a repeat of the performance! It didn't look so hard, did it?"

When Sasuke only stared at her with a look that clearly said _"Are you serious?"_, Sakura caved in. Who was she kidding? _Of course_ it was difficult. The boy was sweating a _lot_, and it was the first week of December!

"OK, it's my fault, but what can I do?" She looked at him apologetically, and Sasuke only rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Look, there were many students who _did_ take a video of your performance, and maybe you could just—"

"You know what? Just shut up," Sasuke interrupted.

Sakura gawked as he moved past her, carrying his camera and tripod in one hand. He walked over to his things, which sat a little ways from the buckets and got his backpack. With his back turned to her, he said, "Leave."

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, an eyebrow cocked in disbelief.

Sasuke blew an exasperated sigh and shot her an annoyed look. "This is the famed University of the Leaf for its smart students and _you_ don't understand what a single word meant?"

That was it. That was the last straw. Sakura glared and moved past him to get away, but not without muttering, "Arrogant bastard. _That_ hurt, thank _you_."

After all, Sakura _was_ smart, just ignorant at times. She had graduated valedictorian in high school with other academic awards, and passed the admission exam to UL without so much a difficulty. She knew that by attending UL she would meet many others who were way smarter than her, but being told that she was not intelligent enough?

That hurt.

As she exited the Engineering building and braced herself for the epic coldness outside, she prayed that she would not meet him any longer, let alone _see_ him. Whoever that Sasuke Uchiha was.

Sakura hardly realized that she was already running late for her next class, and had forgotten all about her empty stomach.

Of course, a month or two later, she would learn that life simply did not go the way you wanted it to. It simply would do a roundabout kick and hit you when you least expected it.

Because upon the start of next term, there _he_ was, sitting beside the only available seat in class.

* * *

_I wanna try writing once in a while. :) University set up is based on the university I am attending so it might differ from _yours_. Help me edit? Also, wanna watch something like Sasuke performed here? Watch videos of **Gordo the Drummer**. He uses paint buckets as drums. He's amazing._


	2. Somebody That I Used To Know

**a spark and a chemistry**

* * *

Chapter 2 – _Somebody That I Used To Know_

Last time Sakura checked, her first ever physics class was supposed to be a lecture one—a _large_ class. There would be about one hundred and fifty students in the lecture hall, and there would also be about one hundred and fifty seats available.

Maybe more.

She had woken up late that morning, having slept at 2AM, knowing that her first class for the new term would be at 7. And it was _physics_. Sakura had failed to regard the fact that the lecture hall for the physics class would be in one of the smallest lecture rooms the university could offer.

Sakura had also failed to regard the fact that students would literally _fight_ for the best seats, and that if she were ever late, she would have to settle for the only available seat she could find.

That was what Sakura had to do when she carefully opened the door to the lecture hall and figured out that, in the sea of seats and students, only one remained vacant. She had to get to that particular seat soon. But she did not want to.

Nervously backing through the wall adjacent to the door she had entered through, Sakura scanned the class one more time. Thankfully, the physics professor was busy working on the projector to take notice of her tardiness.

Sakura sighed and eyed the seat beside _him_.

_Why the hell was he her classmate anyway?_

Sakura was taking up a degree in Chemistry, and this physics course was required in their curriculum. The only other students who would take this course were the Physics degree students (he certainly didn't look like he'd appreciate being locked up in a physics laboratory all day experimenting on magnets) and...

_Oh_.

Sasuke Uchiha might just be an Engineering student. It now made sense that she had first seen him in the College of Engineering and Technology. Sakura cursed her luck and turned her attention back to the professor.

Their physics professor, a blond, busty woman, was still busy working on the adjustments in the projector and did not seem to notice Sakura's sly entrance. Sakura sighed in relief. She was almost twenty minutes late, and she looked like a mess. She had merely finger-combed her short pink hair, and she had worn the worst from her wardrobe yet. Not a very good way to start the term.

Back still pressed to the wall, Sakura moved sideways so she was almost across the only vacant seat. It was at the very back of the room and only a little ways from the door she came in. No other students had noticed her yet, not even _that_ boy.

Ino, who was used to being late and sneaking her way into class, once told her that backing into the wall to get to a seat used to give her _courage_. Sakura remembered laughing, because Ino had continued, saying, "You know, like it gives you some solid support. And yes, pun intended."

And truthfully? She only understood now, this time being her first late moment, where Ino was getting at. But she was not Ino, and Sakura had her own fair share of bad luck her entire life. So when she backed a little more into the wall before finally diving into the seat (well, as silently as she could, anyway) like a ninja—

The lights in the lecture hall switched off.

_Crap_.

The low hum of murmurs from the students when Sakura first entered the room grew louder, and through the little light in the room, Sakura realized that their physics professor was looking at her direction. Then, in a heartbeat, she went from staring to _g__laring_ at her direction.

Sakura leaned away and angled her head a little so she could look at the wall. Her face blanched considerably when she realized that she had just backed into the light switches. She pursed her lips in embarrassment and felt heat rush through her skin. Hands shaking, she switched the lights back on and nervously turned to look at the professor—_Professor Tsunade Senju_, her timetable said—and ignored the laughing eyes of her classmates.

"It's nice of you to join us by turning off the lights, Miss...?" greeted Professor Tsunade in a very, _very _intimidating voice.

"S-Sakura Haruno, Professor," croaked Sakura shuffling forward. She could feel amused black eyes staring at her, and she had a very vague idea to whom they belonged to.

Professor Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed. "Go to seat and _never_ be late again, Miss Haruno. Consider yourself lucky that this is merely the first day."

_Subject orientation day_ was left unsaid. _And 'lucky', huh?_ thought Sakura.

She nodded mutely and could not help but finally notice how her classmates were laughing at her—_silently_. It looked like this professor would be one terrifying teacher if she managed to contain her students into coerced silence.

Sakura pulled back the chair beside Sasuke Uchiha and took a seat. Everyone's attention had turned back to the front where the professor was, apparently, continuing where she had left off before the projector had run amuck.

A few minutes went by, and Sakura ignored her (really) handsome seatmate.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura's eyes widened, and Sasuke turned to her with raised eyebrows.

_Shit, did I just say that?_ thought Sakura, giving the Uchiha a sheepish grin. In front, Professor Tsunade explained the grading scale.

In all honesty, Sakura felt dreadful since the moment she met Sasuke Uchiha. She had always been the "good" girl since childhood, and knowing that she had somehow angered someone sent her into a paranoiac state. There was always that feeling of simply _wanting_ to apologize, especially if she hadn't got the chance to do so before.

She wanted to apologize, even if Sasuke Uchiha was being an asshole.

"Excuse me?" muttered Sasuke.

He looked both lazy and attentive in his position. He was leaning onto the desk, one hand cradling the side of his face and the other playing with his technical pen.

Someone up there should really, _really_ consider opening up the earth sometime, like at that moment, and swallow some pink-haired girl and her miserable life. Sakura mentally palmed her face but outwardly kept a straight, sincere-looking face.

"I never really got the chance to apologize before," explained Sakura, hoping to get this over soon. "You just kinda blew up. And... yeah."

_Plus, you were being an asshole and I didn't think you deserved my sorry_.

Sasuke only looked at her with cynical eyes then just _watched_ her. Having Sasuke's eyes trained on her reminded Sakura of how she really looked that morning—worn and messy-haired. She was practically a walking travesty.

Feeling awkward under Sasuke's hard gaze, Sakura unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms with either hand.

"Say something and consider my business done," muttered Sakura, turning her attention awkwardly toward the front. She still felt his gaze on her. "I wouldn't even ask for any apology from you for being some arrogant basta—I mean, just say something like—"

"Hn."

The nonchalant answer made Sakura look at him apprehensively. Was he still bitter about the whole video thing? And _heeyyy, _it wasn't his ass that got recorded by some camera! She also deserved some sorry, but hardly regarding her apology was a low blow to her pride.

"Say _something_, not a monosyllabic word," retorted Sakura.

When the boy only ignored what she said and turned to look at the front of the room, Sakura ended up with a decision.

She decided that she didn't care anymore. As long as she said her stuff, she was done.

"Suit yourself," Sakura murmured in a huff.

It was while Professor Tsunade was saying some stuff about going to try to force relativity before the semester could end that Sakura felt Sasuke staring at her. She looked up at him and glared.

"What?"

"...You're a B.S. in Chemistry student," Sasuke declared.

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

_How did he know?_

She wanted so badly to ask how, but she regressed. She nearly forgot that she had decided not to care about anything Sasuke Uchiha anymore. So Sakura settled with saying, "No shit, Sherlock."

Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she saw his lips lift in one corner.

He was still staring at her after a few more moments, and it was slowly getting to Sakura. She squirmed in her seat, hoping he didn't notice, and looked anywhere but him. She had no idea what he found in her and he kept on staring, but Sasuke was handsome, and she was not used to being stared at by handsome boys.

"What do you Chemistry students do?" asked Sasuke, as though they hadn't been in a wild row a few months ago.

Sakura frowned, ignoring how intense his stare had been. "You're actually talking to me _now_?"

Sasuke's reply was instant, "_No shit, Sherlock_."

The girl blushed in frustration. He was mocking her. He was _so_ mocking her. She just knew it.

"You—"

"So what do you guys do?"

Sakura glared and huffed. He was asking her what they, Chemistry majors, do? Fine, she'd answer, all right.

"We concoct _poisons_."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and she was sure there was a hint of amusement behind his dark eyes. Now that she noticed, she also realized that his eyelashes were long and thick. His eyes were beautiful, and Sakura found out that they were what made him look so dashing.

"Poisons, huh?" murmured Sasuke. He cast a glance to the front then turned back to her. "Where do you use these poisons, then?"

Sakura smiled at him through gritted teeth. One moment, this guy in front of her was being a bastard. The next, he was being mute. And _now_ he chose to be talkative.

"We use these poisons on seatmates," she answered. Her smile turned sweeter. "Seatmates like _you_."

"Miss Haruno and company, do you mind sharing what you're looking so keen on talking about?" the professor's angry voice boomed.

Sakura closed her eyes and turned her head sideways, cursing her luck yet again, and muttered, "Crap."

She was certain she heard her new seatmate bark out a soft laugh.

* * *

"Sparks!"

Sakura's chicken sandwich paused halfway to her mouth and she froze. She looked up at her grinning best friend.

They were having lunch in McDonald's, which was conveniently situated just outside of the university gate. Of course, being the loyal best friend that she was, Sakura told Ino about what happened on her morning class. Ino was the only other person who knew about her row with Sasuke Uchiha during first semester.

"What are you on about, Ino?" asked Sakura. She finally took a bite on her sandwich, basking in the taste of cholesterol and more fats.

"That's what's going on between you and Sasuke Uchiha!" Ino explained loudly. Neighboring students turned to look at her disapprovingly, and Sakura motioned for Ino to tone down. Ino ignored her. "Look, Sasuke's an Electrical Engineering student—"

"What?" intervened Sakura, curious. "He is? How did you know?"

Ino looked at her incredulously. "Dude, are you serious?"

Sakura only raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"

Her blond best friend sighed in exasperation, as though she was talking to a five-year-old. "He's among the top 20 must-date guys in UL."

When Sakura still looked clueless, Ino rolled her eyes. "Whatever. As I was saying, he's an EE student, and you know what they usually study..."

Ino trailed off, expecting Sakura to get what she was saying. When Sakura still didn't say anything, she groaned.

"I hate to say this, Forehead, but you're so damn slow sometimes," muttered Ino, glaring at Sakura. Sakura merely smiled as sweet as possible. "No wonder Sasuke Uchiha blew up—you're also ignorant!"

"Hey! I resent that!"

"But it's tr—"

"Just eat, Ino-pig," grumbled Sakura, munching on her sandwich as though her life depended on it.

"No, listen to me, Forehead!" continued Ino, ignoring her friend's words. "What I'm trying to say is that _you_ and _the_ Sasuke Uchiha have sparks—"

"Spar—_what_?"

"—and _chemistry_," Ino finished, a knowing gleam in her eye.

Sakura was about to say something—or maybe retaliate—when someone beat her to it. A _male_ someone.

"Sparks and chemistry?"

The pink-haired girl looked up—

_Shit_.

—and cursed her luck for the third time that day.

* * *

_Wow, are you guys serious? TT_TT Thank you very much for the positive feedback. I am both overwhelmed and nervous, because you have so much expectations that I'm not sure I can give, but I'm going to try. The moment I checked my email on my phone and saw the number of feedback, I literally jumped toward my laptop and began typing this chapter. :) Until next time!_


	3. Oh, Calamity!

**a spark and a chemistry**

* * *

Chapter 3 – _Oh, Calamity!_

Sakura's matriculation fee was free. She only paid a few cents for the student body contribution, but other than that, she hadn't any other dues in the university. It hurt to admit, but it wasn't because she was so smart she was granted full scholarship.

It was because of her father.

Sakura's father, Kizashi Haruno, was a member of the College of Engineering and Technology faculty. He was an associate professor in the mentioned college, and, Sakura heard, was among the most feared professors. He was a feared man, all right, even by his own daughter.

Especially when it came to the topic about boys.

Even the littlest of hints on Sakura's possible suitors would send Kizashi wild with anger, and would start lecturing his daughter about early marriage and unwanted pregnancy. He would sometimes exaggerate, and would scare away Sakura's male friends. Even the gayest of her male friends, Kizashi was suspicious about.

So when Sakura looked up, recognizing her father's voice, and saw Kizashi's narrowed blue eyes, she instantly knew what was brewing in her father's mind. It was scary.

"What's this thing about sparks and chemistry, Sakura?" asked Kizashi, pulling the chair beside Sakura out and taking a seat. He looked eerily calm.

Sakura sent Ino a disturbed look, which her best friend merely mirrored. "Uh, Dad—"

"And I think I heard something about an Uchiha," continued Kizashi, turning a concerned gaze at his daughter. "Is Itachi Uchiha courting you?"

"Dad, no!" denied Sakura. "Who's Itachi Uchiha, anyway? And how did you know I was here?"

Her father never really liked McDonald's after all, saying how McDonald's foods were cramped with trans-fat and ultimately deadly. The fact alone that Kizashi found her in the mentioned food chain would mean she was in for more than one lecture.

"I saw you from outside and thought to come here and ask you to visit your mother this weekend," explained Kizashi. "She worries that you don't sleep comfortably in your dorm room and"—he eyed Sakura's food with disgust—"throw that thing away and eat something healthier."

Sakura hadn't been living with her parents since she started college. She had decided she wanted to leave away from home, if just to practice independence. To her surprise, it was all right with her parents, as long as she visited them every week.

"Er, it's nice to see you again, Uncle Kizashi," greeted Ino, cutting Sakura off before she could respond.

Ino and Kizashi exchanged a few pleasant words before Kizashi turned her attention back to her daughter.

"So is Itachi Uchiha courting you, baby?" asked Kizashi. From the eerie calm on his face earlier, his expression turned calculating.

Sakura sighed. "Dad, I don't even know who Itachi Uchiha is!"

"I heard you and this Uchiha have chemistry—"

"Uncle," called Ino. Both Kizashi and Sakura looked at her. She grinned. "It isn't Itachi Uchiha."

"Oh?" questioned Kizashi.

"It's _Sasuke_ _Uchiha_," clarified Ino, a winning smile forming on her lips.

Sakura glared, but felt horrified at the same time. _How dare she!_ She wouldn't hear the end of it from her father.

"I can explain," said Sakura, trying to tend to the fire before it lingered. She mentally cussed at Ino and her big, traitorous mouth.

But Kizashi wasn't listening any longer. It was beginning to deeply scare Sakura, but what scared her more was the fact that he didn't look angry, either.

He looked _thoughtful_.

"Sasuke Uchiha, huh?" he mumbled. He looked at her daughter and nodded to himself. "I was reviewing my class list for my next class just before I came here, and I think I saw his name."

_Oh, shit._

Sakura gaped, and Ino squealed. The little discovery held so many possibilities that Sakura didn't want to live anymore and just want to dive from a high cliff and onto the deep sea.

"What?" asked Sakura.

"He'll be in my next class," Kizashi said simply.

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. How the hell had Sasuke Uchiha managed to be _everywhere_ all of a sudden? She had faulted him, all right, but that didn't mean her karma had to be _this_ bad!

The pink-haired daughter of Kizashi Haruno couldn't take it anymore. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

There was someone in their table who was obviously ecstatic about the sudden turn of events—Ino. If Sakura were to guess, she'd say that Ino, being the tactless but romantic at heart that she was, was thinking about how she and the Uchiha were practically _destined_ to be together. It wouldn't cross the blonde's mind to think that the recent discovery would actually equate to life biting Sakura in the ass for a problem she had unintentionally caused another student.

Kizashi clapped his hands together and thoughtfully said, "I think Itachi _did_ mention me having his younger brother in one of my classes, so I take it that this Sasuke is the said younger brother."

Sakura was in need of heart transplant. She thought her heart had just stopped beating. Why was it every time she thought she wanted nothing to do with the Uchiha, he was being thrown straight into her face?

Her father was oblivious to her inner turmoil and continued, "Because Itachi is a good man, I'm going to give this Sasuke boy my blessings to date you."

_What the...?_

Sakura was quick to react. "Dad, you have it all wro—"

"Sasuke would be pleased, Uncle!" intervened Ino. Her grin was practically splitting her face in half, and Sakura knew that she was going to try and lie through her teeth. "If you had just seen them together, you'd actually feel how _tangible_ the UST between the two of them!"

"What's UST?" both Harunos asked—Kizashi out of curiosity, and Sakura out of suspicion.

"Unresolved sexual tension."

Kizashi's eyes flashed perilously.

"No!" Sakura almost yelled. She ducked her head self-consciously when students from neighboring tables turned to her curiously. She lowered her voice. "I mean, that's not true! Ino hadn't even seen him—"

"_What_?" Kizashi hissed, ignoring his daughter's denial.

Ino didn't look like she was sorry. If anything, it was her mischief that was actually the tangible one.

That was when another voice called out. "Sakura-chan!"

All three of them looked up.

Yellow and blue bombarded Sakura's senses, and if it weren't for the fact that she actually knew this person, she would have thought that in front of her was a bright ball of sunlight. It was Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura's classmate and partner in English Writing during first semester. His sun-kissed hair spiked in all directions, and his blue eyes idly reminded Sakura of oceans. He was a freshman like her, and was taking up a degree in Computer Science.

Of course, Sakura would not have minded Naruto's sudden company. He had been a really fun friend to be with, and there was not a single week during first term that Sakura had not laughed her insides out.

Today, though, there was a small problem that made her _not_ want the Uzumaki around. Behind Naruto, standing casually with one hand in his pocket and the other on the strap of his backpack, was the subject of their conversation.

_Of all _fucking_ times! _Sakura thought, properly horrified. _He just had to appear in my life again—and when I really, _really_ don't want him to._

"N-Naruto, hi!" she greeted nonetheless.

"I and my friend Sasuke-bastard here were just leaving, and then we saw you!" beamed Naruto, openly ignoring her companions. "It's been a _real_ long while since I last talked to you."

Sakura looked at Sasuke for a while, ignoring Naruto's words, then to her father. To her horror, she found the two of them staring each other down.

"Uh—" she began, with full intention on ignoring Naruto's words.

Kizashi's question was instantaneous. "You're Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sakura had to give Sasuke some credit. He didn't look the least bit bothered by the implication that they had just been talking about him. Instead, he answered, "Yes, sir."

"Figures," Sakura's father said. "You look a lot like Itachi."

Sasuke shrugged. His actions seemed to tell that he got that a lot.

The group was rendered silent for a while, with three of them watching Sasuke and Sakura's father watch each other, willing either to look away first. Sakura was, at that moment, the very personification of nerves. Nobody ever lasted in Kizashi's staring contest—it was always her father who won.

Today, she thought with great bewilderment, was an exception. Did her father just _falter_? Because of a _boy_? A boy he would potentially hate because of Ino's wrongly handed information?

Kizashi awkwardly cleared his throat. It was apparent that he, himself, couldn't believe he had been beaten by the Uchiha in his own game.

He raised his left arm, trying to look cool, and checked the time on his metal wristwatch. "Ah, twenty minutes before class. My next class is ENSC 10, section S."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, Naruto blew a single whistle, and Ino was nearly jumping in anticipation on what would happen next. Sakura rolled her eyes at her best friend. Ino always looked at things as though they were part of a soap opera.

"Do you belong in that section?" asked Kizashi, his attention still on Sasuke.

Sakura, in all fairness, didn't understand where her father was getting at. He knew very well—that is, he'd actually seen the class list—that Sasuke would be his student, why still ask?

"Dad—"

Sakura seemed to always get cut off today, and this time, it was Naruto who interfered with what she was about to say.

"Whoa, 'dad'?" asked Naruto, his loud voice earning unwanted attention. He rubbed the back of his head and fought off a cheeky grin, which, Sakura knew by experience, could be really annoying sometimes. "Sir, no offense, but you look really old to be in school."

Four pairs of eyes looked at him. Two looked incredulous, one looked exasperated, and the other looked heavily offended.

Sakura saw her father's eyebrows twitch when he spoke, "I am _Professor_ Kizashi Haruno, a licensed civil engineer for twenty years, and you are?"

Naruto blanched.

"Uh, wow, look at the time!" Naruto said as he looked at his own wristwatch, his face paling to impeccable proportions and looking guiltily. "Twenty minutes before my next class! I _think_ I have to go. Nice seeing you again, Sakura-chan, and you, too, who-I-assume- is-Sakura-chan's-pretty-best friend."

There was silence. Two people still looked at him dubiously, one looked at him as though he was thoroughly hopeless, and the other didn't care anymore.

Naruto was practically sweating buckets at that point. He nudged his best friend. "Uh, Bastard, are you coming?"

He wouldn't leave without his best friend.

"I—" started Sasuke.

"It would be nice to have some teacher-student bonding right before our class start, don't you think so, Mr. Uchiha?" offered Kizashi.

Behind the Haruno engineer, Sakura signaled Sasuke to decline and just go away. However, everyone knew how people don't do what you want them to do. So when Sasuke only raised an eyebrow at her and looked at her amusedly, she instantly knew that _this?_

THIS_ IS HOPELESS, _she thought._ THE NARUTO KIND OF HOPELESS, DAMMIT._

"Hn."

Kizashi looked extremely pleased by Sasuke's answer, as though he actually understood the boy's monosyllabic answer. "I take that as a yes."

"Aa."

"You're not really talkative, are you?" the older man pointed out, still looking pleased. He stood up from where he was sitting beside his daughter and completely faced the tall young man. "Very well, let's go. We have something to really, _really_ talk about."

The malice that suddenly laced her father's voice didn't sit well with Sakura. Regardless whether she was in good terms with Sasuke or not, she didn't want him to experience hell with her father. The lies that Ino fed to her father didn't exactly help the situation from the start.

"Dad."

"Yes, baby?"

_Think, Sakura. Think!_

"Uh," she stalled, then looked at Ino for help. When it was clear that Ino wouldn't, under any circumstances, help her with the Sasuke and Daddy Haruno problem, she spouted the lamest lie she could think of. "I think Sasuke has something else to do."

"But he had agreed to come, had he not?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura, his lips betraying his amusement, and nodded innocently. Sakura cursed.

"Well then, we must keep going. It's a ten-minute walk from here to CET building, after all." Kizashi threw her daughter a look. "Don't forget to call tonight, OK?"

When the two had left, Kizashi's one arm slung a little too tightly for comfort around Sasuke, Sakura glared at Ino. Ino smiled, and Naruto, who hadn't said anything else after his little act and who hadn't left yet, appeared to look confused.

"Huh, I didn't know your dad would actually like him," Ino commented, blissfully ignoring her best friend's rising temper. It was clear that she was enjoying the result of her genius talking.

Naruto's eyes were wide as saucers. He turned to his pink-haired English partner. "Sakura-chan, what was that about?"

Sakura was still glaring, and her insides were writhing in anxiety. There were so many things her father misunderstood—courtesy of her idiot best friend—and there were just so many things that he could tell Sasuke Uchiha.

"Damn, that was Sasuke Uchiha's ticket to hell," murmured Sakura.

Naruto had never looked as fearful as he was now.

* * *

_It took me a long while before I finished this. My first choice on the "male someone" from last chapter was supposed to be Naruto or Sasuke, but I fought against it because that was so cliché. So I used someone I think Sakura wouldn't want to have around when she and Ino talk about boys. Her Dad. :) Thank you again for the reviews, the favs, and the alerts! Cheers._


	4. A Love Like War

**a spark and a chemistry**

* * *

Chapter 4 – _A Love Like War_

Sakura realized that she had no other classes with Sasuke Uchiha on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It sucked that physics was on Mondays and Thursdays and Fridays, because now it meant she could not question the Uchiha about what transpired between him and her father.

For two freaking days, Sakura hadn't heard anything from the Uchiha. Her father didn't let anything slip, too, whenever he would call her or visit her in her dorm.

It was not Sasuke she was worried about. She was worried for herself. The calm in her father's face whenever they see each other scared her more than anything else. Sometimes, he would look at her as though he knew something she didn't, then smile evilly to himself. Something must have happened.

_Something Dad thoroughly enjoyed._

It was Wednesday night when she saw Sasuke again, right there, onstage in the Leaf Spot, where a party was going on.

Naruto had invited them the other day to the party, when the Daddy Haruno scare had just frittered away (if only for a little bit). Apparently, he and Sasuke and a couple other friends were invited to play a few songs, and they got the chance to invite whoever they wanted to.

Sakura, the prude that she was, declined, but Ino, the sly woman she was, forced her.

"I need to study!" Sakura had argued, trashing away her unfinished chicken sandwich.

Both blonds looked at her as though she had grown another head.

"What?" she had asked, and the two had shaken their heads, as though she was hopeless.

"First week of classes, Forehead!" Ino had pointed out. "And you want to study?"

"Well..."

"We won't have any solid lessons until next week!" Ino had pushed further. Which was true.

So there she was, watching as Sasuke Uchiha banged on his drums like a real pro. She wanted to do some advanced reading, but to hell with that, when she wanted, more than anything else, to know what had ensued between her father and the Uchiha.

"I didn't know that your blond friend is actually friends with Kiba and Shikamaru," commented Ino while they stood in one corner of the place.

Leaf Spot was a compound that held many different restaurants and bars, and in its center was a huge open-air quadrangle where parties were held almost every night. Sakura had only been there once, and at daytime, too, so she had no idea that it would be this beautiful—ambience-wise—despite the wild partygoers.

"What's his name again?"

"Naruto," answered Sakura, watching them play a We The Kings song. She leaned against a huge post behind her and crossed her arms. It was really cold that night.

"_Run, baby, run, don't ever look back. They'll tear us apart if you give them the chance._"

The only people she knew there onstage were Naruto and Sasuke, who were in lead guitar and drums respectively, while the other two, who Ino claimed to be named Kiba and Shikamaru, she hadn't met nor seen before.

When the group finished, people around them cheered, and the singer—a boy with red tattoos on his face and could be either Kiba or Shikamaru (she couldn't figure out)—thanked the crowd before hopping off the stage.

It was then that she felt nervousness invading her. Her eyes were still glued to the Uchiha boy who was still onstage, helping the next performers set up their instruments.

What was she going to tell him? What was she going to ask? It wasn't like they were close, so she couldn't just go right up to him and speak to him as if they had been long-lost friends.

"Ino, I think I'll just talk to him tomorrow, what do you—" Sakura paused when she realized her best friend wasn't there anymore. She looked around. "Ino?"

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked back to the direction of the stage and found Naruto _and_ Sasuke walking her way.

Screw nervousness. This was it. He was coming her way? Then let him come.

"Oh, hi, Naruto."

"What did you think about our performance?" He and Sasuke were already in front of her, the latter looking anywhere but her. That sent warning alarms blaring in her head.

_Crap. My dad certainly did something stupid._

"It was wonderful," Sakura answered truthfully. It didn't look like Naruto nor Sasuke were in a band, but they surprisingly played their respective instruments beautifully. "I didn't know you played guitar."

"Heh, thanks, Sakura-chan," said Naruto. He turned to Sasuke. "Oh yeah! I forgot to introduce you properly before. Bastard, remember Sakura-chan? She's the girl in your vid—"

"Yeah," was Sasuke's quick response, still not looking at Sakura. Instead, he scowled at Naruto.

Sakura, however, didn't bother watching for Sasuke's possible hints on his conversation with Kizashi, but actually felt horrified. If Naruto was asking about _the_ video, then he must have known what happened between her and Sasuke. Worse, he implied that he had seen the video, which meant... Sakura blushed.

Turning to Sasuke, she unconsciously glared.

"And Sakura-chan, meet grade-A bastard, Sasuke Uchiha!" introduced Naruto. His grin widened and he sent Sasuke what looked like a sly look. "I heard you've met in a special circumstance before."

"Yes," hissed Sakura, a newfound irritation bubbling in her. He actually dared to show Naruto the video? The video that contained her jean-clad bottom?

Sasuke, finally, turned to look at her. They stared each other down for a long moment of silence, and even Naruto, who was usually oblivious to stuff like this, felt the tension.

"I, uh, look, that's your best friend! Ino, was it? I might as well go say hi. Bye, Sakura-chan!"

When Sakura looked at where Naruto was heading, she saw Ino talking with the boys who played with him and Sasuke. Sasuke was about to follow when Sakura pulled the sleeves of his maroon university hoodie.

"You actually showed him?" asked Sakura, glaring. "Did you even delete the video?"

Sasuke pulled back and shrugged.

"You—"

"He's my best friend. Did _you_ tell your best friend?"

Sakura was rendered silent by that. Of course he'd tell the closest to him. Naruto might be a blabbermouth, but she knew that Sasuke's friendship with him must run deep with trust if he actually called the blond his _best friend_. And she wasn't going to be a hypocrite either. Sasuke, with him looking at her fiercely like that, knew that she told Ino.

"Fine. Then tell me what happened between you and my dad."

Sasuke stiffened, and he looked at anywhere but Sakura yet again. This was bad.

"W-What did he do?"

"I don't think you'd want to know." Sasuke pulled his arm away, and that was when Sakura realized she was still gripping on his sleeves. He stepped back, and was about to leave yet again.

He was obviously trying to avoid _this_ conversation.

"Look," Sakura began, stopping him from leaving. "I wouldn't actually ask you, let alone _talk_ to you, if I didn't want to know."

Sasuke turned and fully faced her. He was silent for a while before he asked, "You really want to know?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura said, "I just told you—"

"He made me your boyfriend."

In the background, Sakura could hear the performer sing, "_Fail safe trigger lock down call, wipe the dry clean slate, quick, sound the alarm. No escape from the truth and the weight of it of it all, I am caught in the web of a lie._"

Sasuke's words rang in her head.

"_He made me your boyfriend."_

Boyfriend.

Sakura gaped. "What? How the hell did that even happen? My dad looked ready to pounce on you and kill you the moment he had you all alone."

_This. Is. Insane._

Sasuke sighed. "Apparently, he thought we had some 'tangible sexual tension'"—_INO! _thought Sakura in revulsion—"and gave me his graces to be your boyfriend because my brother 'is so good so I might be as good and smart as Itachi'. Said something about him having the 'right to choose the guy for his baby girl.'"

"_What_?"

Sasuke shrugged.

Sakura bit her lip. Then her mouth hung, as though she was about to say something else, then closed. This went on for a few more moments before she slapped her palms onto her face and groaned.

"I have no future any longer," mourned Sakura. She shook her head, hands still covering her face, hiding her growing blush from Sasuke. "What little is left of my future has just been obliterated by my own _father_."

Sasuke asked, "What are you talking about? You have one hell of a big future right there."

"Huh?" Sakura removed the hands from her face and stared at Sasuke.

He looked down at her chest.

Sakura looked down, too.

They were talking about future, right? Like, time moving _forward_. Future, the face—the _front_—of time. So what was he doing looking down at her chest?

_My chest? _

Sakura's head snapped up so quickly she thought she'd have a whiplash. Sasuke had turned his head away, but she could see a small smirk lingering on his lips. Sakura felt herself redden.

"You, big pervert!"

Sakura, for a lack of better word, was busty, and she hated it. It always got in the way of things—it felt uncomfortable every night when she slept; boys look at her chest _every_ time (and she thought Sasuke was any different!); she had to buy sports bra just to jog around in the school field with Ino so she couldn't feel them hurting. She was blessed, all right, but she hated every single moment that it got in the way.

She punched him in the arm without thinking. And when she punches? They actually hurt. So she wasn't surprised when Sasuke cringed in pain.

Sakura was still blushing when Sasuke seriously looked her in the eye. The intensity of his stare made her redder in the face. She was about to ask him why he was staring, but he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry."

The girl blinked. "Wait, what?"

Sasuke looked away, and Sakura swore she saw something red tint on his cheeks and he tips of his ears. It could've been the cold, anyway, so she ignored it.

"Tch, don't make me repeat myself."

Sakura gaped.

"Oh, my God," she murmured, still staring at Sasuke owlishly. "Oh, _my_ God. You said sorry."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No shit."

"_You_ said sorry!" repeated Sakura. She hardly believed it. "You have just apologized. To _me_."

"Yeah, yeah, now just say all those 'it's okay' crap and we're even," grumbled Sasuke, looking away.

Sakura's mouth hung open still staring at him. Sasuke _squirmed_ and looked down at her awkwardly. "What's the big deal? I just said that I'm sorry."

"What's the big deal? You practically called me stupid and dumb and an unworthy UL student the last time, and now you're apologizing!"

Sasuke ran his palms down his face and looked at her squarely. "Look, it was a stressful week—I had my hands loaded with papers here and there, reports to pass, exams to study for, and a fucking video project to work on the last minute because I couldn't fit it in any other free time. _Then_ you came along and ruined the video. With your ass."

"Hey—"

Sasuke held up a hand. "Let _me_ talk."

Sakura clamped her mouth shut.

"I knew the moment those stupid things came out of my mouth that I had wronged you in the process," said Sasuke. He scratched the side of his face with a slender finger. "I had an exam in math scheduled the night of that day, so I had to really, really finish that Humanities project. That course was worth 3 credits, so I couldn't just—"

"I understand," Sakura said, cutting him off. She still felt guilty about it, despite having said her sorry two days before. "You just don't want to fail any subject. I don't know—maybe your family has high expectations from you—and now I ruined a big percentage of your grade."

"Actually, you didn't quite," Sasuke confessed. Sakura cocked her head sideways, confused. "Contribute to the low grade, I mean. I used an old video of me performing on buckets."

Sakura gasped. "What? You had another video? And you said all those mean things to me and—"

Sasuke glared and held his hands up to stop her again.

"The project was supposed to show how people react on a random performance art, and I hadn't any viewers in the video I submitted. It was in my music room at home while I was practicing, but I had no other choice."

"Oh." Sakura flushed. "I'm sorry. I really am. What... what grade did you get anyway?"

"My lowest grade yet."

The look he sent her was literally asking for her pity.

"You're getting a kick out of picking my conscience, aren't you?"

"I don't know." Sasuke shrugged, but smirked nonetheless. "Are you feeling guilty?"

"I don't know." And it was the truth.

No one spoke after that. It was Sasuke who broke the silence.

"I apologized, you apologized." He noted. He looked at Sakura from the corners of his eyes. "We're even now."

"Yeah."

"..."

"So..." Sakura mumbled, not knowing what to say. _This is awkward_, she thought. _What do you do in these kinds of situation? Cartwheel your way out?_

"Truce?"

Sakura's green eyes snapped up to look at him. Maybe... maybe being friends with him had more advantages than being acquaintances with unresolved dilemma (_unresolved sexual tension, forehead,_ a little Ino told her). A sly smile formed on her face.

"I don't know... I think I want you to grovel for my forgiveness," she mumbled, but loud enough so Sasuke could hear.

Sasuke frowned, his lips forming what looked to Sakura to be a pout.

"Forget I said anything, then," said Sasuke, preparing to leave. There was still that cute little pout on her face that Sakura couldn't help but laugh at him. Sasuke glowered at her. "Did you just—"

Sakura laughed. "Relax, I was just kidding." She held out a hand for him to shake, her grin so bright it could have blinded Sasuke. "So truce?"

Sasuke held out his hands, too, but didn't touch hers. Sakura raised an eyebrow and tried to reach for his hand... only to have his hand evade hers and move away, palm still spread. Sakura frowned and tried to reach his hand again. Sasuke, for the second time, avoided her hand, this time raising it a little above her head.

Sakura huffed and glared at him, her hand still held out for him to shake. "Are you sure you wanted us to be friends?"

The boy shrugged, his hand also still above her head. "I don't know, I didn't say anything about us being friends. I just said to truce."

_Annoying bastard!_

"Tsk," grumbled Sakura. She emphasized her offered hand. "Are you going to take it or not? Truce, remember?"

Sasuke smirked, and Sakura had to fight the urge to blush. After all, he grew handsomer whenever his lips lifted in a corner. He lowered his hand so it was on level with hers, but still didn't touch her hand.

"What the—?"

"I promise I won't avoid your hand any longer," said Sasuke. His eyes were serious.

The girl looked at him suspiciously but extended her arm anyhow. When her hand was nearly touching his, Sakura saw how he pulled back, so she stepped forward, tried to reach his hand before he could avoid it yet again—

"_Ouch!_"

"Pff—"

—only to trip on her toes and fall over beside Sasuke Uchiha who was starting to _laugh_. Sakura glared at the dark-haired boy, who was obviously having the time of his life _laughing_ at her fallen figure, no matter how softly and how he tried to stop himself.

Students around them stopped to look at Sakura—she vaguely remembered they were in a party with probably hundreds of UL students—who was now sitting on her bottom and was glaring perilously at the Uchiha. Some openly laughed at her situation, while the others moved on and acted as though it was normal.

"You—how _dare_ you?" Sakura asked. She could feel a huge lump lodging on her throat, and there was heat prickling behind her eyes.

_Oh no. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry!_

Sasuke stopped laughing, a small smile still on his lips, and extended his hand toward her sitting figure. Sakura openly ignored his gesture.

"I just wanted to be friends!" Sakura pulled her knees to her chest and dug her head into her arms. "I can't believe you! And now I fell over in a party and students saw me and laughed at me and are now ignoring me and the ground is so cold and dirty!"

"Hey," called Sasuke. She didn't budge. "I'm serious now."

When Sakura looked up, her eyes teary—_because goddammit, why can't he make this thing as easy as it should be?_—she saw Sasuke's sincere look and outstretched hand.

"No more tricks," added Sasuke. "Friends?"

It took Sakura a while to contemplate whether or not she would take it, but because she was growing tired of this already, she took his hand. She was surprised at how soft his hand was as it wrapped hers in a tight manner.

He pulled her up easily, and Sakura didn't look at him.

"Hey, I'm asking you," said Sasuke. He tapped his foot to her leg casually. "Friends?"

Sakura looked up, grinned, and kicked him in his shin.

"_Fuck!_" Sasuke cursed as he held his right leg and glared at Sakura.

Sakura smiled the sweetest she could muster, folding her arms across her chest. "Frienemies."

After all, being friends with Sasuke Uchiha could be advantageous—he could be really, really good in physics and help her survive the subject—but one could not simply remove the pole stuck in his ass all the time.

They were going to be frienemies, whether he liked it or not. At that moment, nobody remembered Daddy Haruno and his act of making Sasuke his daughter's boyfriend.

Sakura felt a hand mess with her hair moments later. She looked up at Sasuke and glared. Sasuke messed it all the more.

"Entropy," murmured Sasuke.

Yup, he'd be really, really good in Physics.

* * *

_I had so many things I wanted to happen in this chapter, but they would drag on and just... I couldn't bear to make it any longer than this. It would bore (probably). So I'll save those scenes for next time. Shrugs. Thanks again for the wonderful feedback! The reviews, favs, and alerts made me jump to my laptop again and finish this chapter. :)_


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